Chapter Six: The Yue Family Manor

"Why did you have to kill them?" Yue Qi and Bai Lian walked along the road to Yue Family Manor, one ahead and one behind, as if they were nothing but strangers passing by.

Yue Qi didn't respond, but suddenly, from the thicket ahead, a zombie burst forth, lunging straight at him. Yet he seemed to have sensed it long before; though his sword remained strapped to his back, he swiftly drew a dagger from his chest and drove it into the zombie's eye.

Bai Lian watched his every move coldly from behind. Perhaps because they were drawing closer to Yue Family Manor, the number of zombies they encountered had increased. Usually, they might see one after half a day, but today they'd already come across four by midmorning. Yue Qi had killed all four himself, and each time with a brutality that made it seem as though he were venting his frustrations.

"Do you really think you're still in the sect? Still that lofty elder? Sister Lian! Wake up!" Yue Qi suddenly turned, speaking calmly to Bai Lian, his hands still stained with the blood of the zombie he'd just slaughtered, lending him an eerie aspect.

"You..." Bai Lian was at a loss for words. She knew perfectly well that the man they'd just encountered had been in the wrong, whether for insulting her or harboring ill intent toward Yue Qi... Yet in her view, none of this warranted death; Yue Qi had gone too far.

"You really don't know what it's like outside. I grew up in Yue Family Manor, one of seven siblings. We were poor, living only by the firewood my parents chopped and the cloth they wove..." As Yue Qi spoke, he fell into memory.

"I was the youngest. My brothers and sisters always gave me the best of what little we had. But what of it? The other villagers bullied us just the same, looked down on us just the same. We were poor, had no standing; wherever we went, we were despised. In this world, where the strong prey on the weak, no one pities you—they only beat you bloody and then grind salt into your wounds!" Yue Qi's voice grew more agitated as he spoke, nearly shouting by the end. Bai Lian could see clearly the tears glistening in his eyes.

"Later, my parents sent me to study at the village school. I worked so hard, but I lacked talent; the teacher thought me dull, and my classmates mocked me. I couldn't fight back, only laugh along with them—laugh at my own failure, laugh at my inability to give my parents a better life!

"Then, one day, Uncle Song Yu from the Azure River Sword Sect came down the mountain to buy supplies. By chance, he saw me and said I had spiritual roots—that I could cultivate! Do you know how excited I was? I ran home to tell my parents, but they didn't believe me. They even asked if I'd gone mad from studying too much..." At this, the corner of Yue Qi's mouth lifted in a bittersweet smile.

"Only after my two sisters vouched for me did my parents finally believe. From then on, I gave up my studies and devoted myself to being with my parents, because I knew I would soon leave them for a long time. After that, whenever I went out, the villagers looked at me differently—ha, a future immortal! But I despised them, truly despised them, wanted nothing to do with those parasites.

"Later, I entered the Azure River Sword Sect. Every year, the master gave us spirit pills, but I never took a single one—I exchanged them all for silver. You know, Sister Lian, those mundane coins are worthless to cultivators like us, so I could trade one pill for a hundred taels of gold!"

"But I didn't dare send all the money home; I understood the wisdom of not flaunting one's wealth. So I sent only twenty taels. Even so, my whole family was beaten with boards by the village chief! They accused my parents of theft just for those twenty taels. Of course my parents denied it, so they were beaten until they had no choice but to hand the gold over, and then some as 'interest.'"

Yue Qi's eyes reddened and his teeth clenched with fury. Bai Lian wanted to comfort him but found herself at a loss.

"At first my parents hid the truth from me, but later, my third brother told me. Do you know what I wanted to do? I wanted to run home and kill them—the bastards who beat my parents! But I calmed myself. I knew if I left without permission, I'd be expelled from the sect, and then I'd never be able to give my parents a better life. So I traded another spirit pill to a senior brother who was going down the mountain, asking him to take care of it. He did as I asked, but he didn't dare kill anyone. I didn't press him, only asked that he teach those dogs a lesson..." As Yue Qi spoke, two streams of tears ran down his cheeks.

"But you still shouldn't have killed them..." Bai Lian tried to protest, but Yue Qi cut her off.

"Sister Lian, you have no idea how treacherous and dark this world truly is. Not just out here, but even in the sect. There are those who secretly sell martial arts to mortals or rival sects for huge profit. What can you do? These aren't profound arts, so the leaders just turn a blind eye. There are so many like this—if we killed them all, our own foundation would be shaken..."

Bai Lian lowered her head in thought. She had heard rumors of such things, but had been too focused on her own cultivation to pay much attention.

"I'm sorry, Sister Lian, I lost my composure today..." Yue Qi wiped his tears and forced a smile. But that smile cut Bai Lian's heart like a dozen blades at once.

"I'm sorry, I was too emotional..." Bai Lian's voice was as soft as a mosquito's. At last, the proud girl bowed her head to the boy.

"Sister Lian..." Yue Qi looked up at the sky and continued, "You say all cultivators have lost their spirit power, and that I'm the exception—right now, only you and I know this. But what if there's someone else out there who still has their power? What would he do if he knew about me? He'd stop at nothing to catch me, kill me, so he alone could be unique!"

Bai Lian sighed. She realized she truly had been sheltered, ignorant of the world's cruelty. Thinking it over, she saw Yue Qi's logic: whether his powers or her own beauty, both could easily draw the attention of ill-intentioned survivors. If she couldn't harden her heart, she would die not by a zombie's hand, but by another survivor's.

How could Bai Lian not understand? She simply didn't wish to believe it. This flower-like girl would rather dream the world was as pure and unsullied as in her sleep.

"Enough, Sister Lian! Don't daze off—let's go. We've wasted too much time already. If we don't reach the manor by nightfall, we'll have to sleep outdoors again..." Yue Qi smiled gently, patting Bai Lian's back in a gesture that was as much to hide his own embarrassment as to show affection.

Yet suddenly, Bai Lian smiled too. Her smile was like the winter sun, warming the heart and making one want to linger in its light.

"Come on, little brother. If you can't find your family..." She paused, cheeks reddening with shyness, "If you can't, then from now on, your sister will take care of you!" With that, she hurried ahead.

"Huh?! So now I'm the little brother..." Yue Qi was surprised. This girl could change her face faster than the weather—cold and distant one moment, calling him her little brother the next.

But Yue Qi knew her well enough. Outwardly aloof, indifferent to strangers, but to those she truly accepted, she gave her heart.

"Don't worry, Sister Lian. I'll protect you..." Yue Qi clenched his fist and vowed silently as he walked behind her.

Neither of them realized that at this very moment, something called affection had begun to take root in their hearts, like a seed quietly sprouting...

Yue Family Manor.

At the entrance, a few zombies wandered aimlessly. Night had fallen. The village, which should have been bright with lanterns, was eerily dark. Occasionally, a pair of blood-red eyes could be seen—the lifeless gaze of the undead.

"Yue Qi, are we really going in tonight?"

Hidden in the woods outside the gate, a young man and woman watched the village in silence. They were none other than Yue Qi and Bai Lian.

"No, we'll wait. I know there's a hunter's hut down the eastern slope. It should be empty, maybe with some food left. We'll rest there for the night and check the village tomorrow." Yue Qi had weighed their options. With his current power, he couldn't clear all the zombies, and the manor had many people. If there were too many zombies, the two of them couldn't possibly handle it.

"Alright, but which way is east?" Bai Lian hadn't noticed that she already treated Yue Qi as her pillar of support.

"That way. If we take out those two zombies, we can get there." Yue Qi pointed to two stragglers away from the main gate.

"Sister Lian, let's each take one and keep quiet, alright?" Yue Qi said confidently, glancing at Bai Lian with a hint of mischief. Zombies had much sharper hearing than people; any loud noise could bring the rest upon them.

Feeling looked down upon by her "little brother," Bai Lian shot him a glare and kicked him, snapping, "Take care of yourself!" Then she strode toward one of the zombies.

With a swift stroke, Yue Qi split open the last zombie's skull. The two creatures were dispatched without a sound, causing no trouble at all. Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, they made their way toward the eastern hills.